Monday, September 24, 2012

If you sit down at a seven-card stud table and you hear an strange accent coming off of a man others are referring to as “Iceman,” I’d be sure of what I’m doing before dropping my chips on the table, cause chances are they will all end up with him.

Jeffrey “Iceman” Lisandro was born in Perth, Australia and his mother taught him the game of poker when he was just five years old. Since then he has used that knowledge to put some serious skins on the wall, having won multiple World Series of Poker Championship bracelets, earning an impressive bankroll, and having beaten some of the very best in the world including Daniel Negranu, Nick Frangos, Phil Ivey, and Howard Lederer.

Now living mostly in Italy and occasionally in Santa Barbara, California, Lisandro, who is known primarily as a cash game specialist, has become a well known face on the touring poker tournament circuit and is well regarded as one of the best at seven card stud. During the 2009 World Series of Poker he was the first person to ever pull off a trifecta, winning all three seven-stud tournaments Stud High, Stud High-low, and Razz. That nifty feat also earned him the title of Player of the Year. He has also won a bracelet playing Pot Limit Omaha.

If you are a fan of the World Series of Poker, you may remember one incident involving Lisandro from back in 2006. Prahlad Friedman accused Lisandro of not putting in his ante during a hand and started to berate him, calling him a thief. The dealer noted that it was not Lisandro, but another player who had mistakenly forgot to add his ante in with his blind, but Friedman continued his assault, leading to a lot of friction between the two players and Lisandro threatening to “take his head off” at one point in the debate. Cooler tempers eventually prevailed and Lisandro placed 17th in that World Series, while Friedman placed 20th.

So the next time you settle in to your seat in Vegas or Atlantic City, belly up to the felt and call for chips, make sure to take a good look around at those sitting with you. Lisandro commonly wears a black fedora and chews gum at the table to help reduce the number of tells he gives away, and as his nickname of “Iceman” implies, he is not known for being very talkative at the table, and seeming quite cold and calculating. Don’t come back with empty pockets saying you weren’t warned.

This has been a guest post from Australia's latest betting news source. Check it out if you want to stay up to date on the latest poker news.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Adelaide isn’t exactly known as the nexus of poker, but it has bred some top players. Let’s have a look at one of the best to have come out of the SA capital, James Obst. Starting out as a teenage chess champion, Obst began playing at the (illegal)age of 14 online. Because he had no access to a credit card at the time, he got other players to transfer him small amounts to get his bankroll going. By grinding it out and building his bankroll gradually.He eventually made a name for himself by winning a $10 rebuy tournament, taking out the first prize of $17, 000. From there on it was on to bigger and better things, making 5th place at last year's $100, 000
challenge at the Aussie Millions. His career winning to date exceed $2.4 million.One interesting fact about his career is that another online player snitched on him when he was 17 years old (due to his underage status) and Obst was banned from online play for a year. Keeping his cool until he could play again, Obst used this time offline to focus on his studies, health and his other obligations. This left him free to get back into poker full time by the time he was 18.James was invited to join Team Victory at the popular site Victory Poker in 2010, a testament to his skill level. His contemporaries in the Victory Poker stable include Antonio Esfandiari and Danny Wong.A true Adelaide Crows supporter, James’s online handle is “Andy McLeod” after Andrew McLeod, one of the greatest indigenous players of all time and also considered by some to be the best Crows player of all time. Being a hometown boy at heart, James still resides in Adelaide to this day.Archie Raweed is a content writer at pokie.com.au, where he tries his best to cover the latest in the Australian pokies scene. In between articles, he likes to fit in a few hands of poker both online and offline.

Friday, May 18, 2012

One of the great things about gambling online is how much more relaxed it can be. The feeling of winning some money in the comfort of your own home is something that can tempt a lot of people, and because of the large amount of competition between internet gambling sites there are large numbers of relatively cheap places to play anything from bingo to poker.
Many sites offer large bonuses when people first sign up to play; quite often this can extend to free bets, and games free of charge if you're browsing through poker and bingo sites. Because of this it really does feel like the ball is in your court to a much greater extent than if you walk into your local bookmakers or bingo hall.

In fact, due to the large amounts of online providers, you can quite easily find a social site which is regularly used by many like-minded people. There are so many different niches; often filled by the same operators in order to gain as many customers as possible; you're bound to find a place to make some friends.

Another advantage of internet gambling is that it's convenient. Though you can lose your money in an instant if you don't place sensible bets online or in traditional brick and mortar bookies, the journey there and back can be so long that it leaves a black cloud over your day, and the opening hours can be difficult to work with depending on your job. It's quick and easy to find a good online bingo room, or a fast poker iGame, and as other people can't see you the pressure to lose your money quickly just isn't there.

Online gambling can be relaxed and social, and a few pence can easily last you an entire evening if you're less bothered about winning big and more bothered about having a chat and passing the time doing something fun.

Attitudes to online gambling are changing; even countries that are traditionally harsh with gambling, like the United States, are coming around to the idea of online poker and betting. In some States gambling is still illegal, but that looks to be changing soon in places like Illinois, and the United Kingdom is one of the few places where gambling in various forms really is part of our cultural heritage, so you really have nothing at all to worry about when you are visiting online poker and bingo rooms.

Stephen has played poker with friends from being a teenager,
but is new to the world of online poker. He joined iGame
last month and is enjoying the experience.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Playing online poker for the first time can be an exciting experience. With the recent poker boom more people without easy access to brick and mortar casinos are turning to online gaming. Playing from the comfort of home while being able to trust that the money deposited online is safe is very appealing. People ranging from beginners with small bankrolls to experienced pros with larger bankrolls all have equal access to the same game selection. Playing online poker is easy but there are a few tips to remember in order to ensure a pleasurable and secure experience.

Choose a SAFE login password

There have been many cases of people breaking into online poker accounts and either changing bank account information or transferring money to their own account. In order to ensure your money is safe be sure to use a secure password that only you will know and do not share your login information with anybody.

Practice Disciplined Bankroll Management

This is probably the biggest mistake that poker players make. Many of them play way above their bankroll. Poker may be a game of skill but there is also luck involved and if you hit a string of bad luck and are not playing the appropriate limits in relation to your bankroll then you can lose your money fast. When deciding which game to play you should never sit with your whole bankroll on the table. Choose a game that you sit with no more than 20% of your bankroll. You should also have a daily loss limit and if you reach that limit you should quit. Far too many poker players go broke by not practicing proper bankroll management.

Play Smaller Stakes When Learning a New Game

There are many different forms of poker from Texas Hold 'Em to Omaha to Stud and more. If you are an experienced player at one of these games and feel confident enough to try and learn another be sure to step down in stakes in order to develop your skills. For example if your regular game is $5/10 No Limit Hold 'Em and you are interested in learning Pot Limit Omaha you should try playing $1/2 PLO. This allows you to practice and become experienced at a new game without risking too much of your bankroll.

Do Not Collude

Most online poker sites block two players from playing at the same table from the same IP address but if you wish to play against your friends from different IP addresses for fun be sure to keep the integrity of the game and play the same way against them as you would any other player. Believe it or not poker sites track hands and if they see suspicious play among two players they could freeze your account, ban you from playing and confiscate the funds in the account for violating their policy.

Playing online poker can be just as much of a rush as playing live in the casino. Stay safe, stay disciplined and stay honest and you can have a very enjoyable experience playing online poker.

Consider Free Poker Games

If you would like to enjoy online poker without risking your own hard-earned money, we highly recommend trying SandzPoker, a Free Texas Hold'em Poker Game played with virtual chips. The beauty of SandzPoker is that it's highly addictive! In fact, it has tons of cool social features that are integrated into the game. You can chat live with players at the table, befriend them and exchange virtual gifts and drinks. You can also earn achievement points and increase your level to be able to play with more experienced players. SandzPoker is also a great way to learn poker for beginners.